Ivanhoe Girls’ Early Learning Centre is pleased and proud to announce that it has been awarded top marks under the National Quality Framework. The National Quality Standards provides a benchmark for the quality of children’s education and care across Australia.  

After a lengthy process of assessment and rating, in May 2021 the ELC, led by Director Bernadette Gioia, was awarded “Exceeding National Quality Standard”. This rating is given to services that go above and beyond the requirements of the NQS in at least four of the seven quality areas. 

The seven quality areas that assessed are:

• Educational Program and Practice
• Children's Health and Safety
• Physical Environment
• Staffing Arrangements
• Relationships with Children
• Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities
• Governance and Leadership

The Ivanhoe Girls' ELC was delighted to be awarded an "Exceeding" rating for each of these seven quality areas.  

"I’m very proud of our team in the ELC," says Bernadette. "This was our first time going through the process together and the ELC’s first assessment in six years." 

"To be awarded ‘Exceeding’ in all seven areas was a great recognition of all the hard work we have done as a team and our commitment to ongoing reflection, learning and development."

In her report, the assessor described the educators as creating an “inviting, warm and safe environment for children.”  

“The program provided was inclusive and deliberately planned to promote children’s curiosity and create an atmosphere of learning through play,” she noted.

The program and practice at the Early Learning Centre at Ivanhoe Girls’ is based on the Emilia Reggio Approach of Early Childhood Education. This educational philosophy is based on the image of each child being regarded as an individual with potential, who has rights, who learns from the world around them and who grows in relation with others. 

The assessor noted some of these aspects in her findings. 

“Children were provided with many opportunities to actively engage in the program through the provision of well-planned and organised play spaces and activities. This included a supportive environment created by educators each day, where children are empowered to make decisions, show leadership and share their ideas.”

Of particular note was the warm, nurturing and collaborative relationships developed between educators, children and their families, which “significantly contributed” to children’s sense of confidence and security, the assessor noted in her report. 

This was particularly evident in the respectful acknowledgement of “developmental needs, diverse cultural backgrounds and progress of each child” in planning and developing the curriculum . 

“We all feel very passionate about our work and relationships with the families and children at the ELC. We celebrate the individual strengths in each child and what makes them unique. We were thrilled that the assessor could see this so clearly during her visit.”

Ivanhoe Girls’ is very proud of Bernadette and her wonderful team of educators for their impressive achievement, and for the work they do to provide outstanding care and education for our youngest students.